


By My Side

by caimani



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Fluff, Marriage Proposal, Sunsets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-16 02:08:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14154366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caimani/pseuds/caimani
Summary: Imani (479er) and Rachel (Carolina) are childhood best friends/sweethearts. After graduating college, they go on a road trip—just the two of them. Now they’re enjoying a sunset at a beach with some memories attached to it.





	By My Side

**Author's Note:**

> I loved writing this so much

As the sun starts to dip past the horizon, the sky bleeds a deeper red. The cloudless blue sky fades into shades of orange and pink, which reflects on the endless miles of ocean before Rachel and Imani. This is by far the prettiest sunset Rachel’s seen on this entire road trip, and they’ve been on the road for almost three weeks now. 

The beach has quieted down as most of the other visitors have left. There are a few groups of people still lingering around, but Rachel and Imani are far enough away that they can’t hear them. All they can hear is the sound of the ocean and the seagulls in the distance. 

Imani leans against Rachel’s side. “I’ve been excited about taking you here,” she says. Her thumb rubs against the back of Rachel’s hand, brushing away some dried sand. “This is the same beach I went to every time we were visiting my grandparents. I always wanted to bring you here.”

Rachel smiles. “Gotta admit, I wondered about what kind of place it was,” she says, pressing a soft kiss to Imani’s cheek. “That was the only time of the year you left me.”

Imani elbows Rachel. “Oh, come on! It was only a month! I’ve spent like every other day of my life with you!”

Rachel turns to catch Imani’s gaze. “Oh yeah?” she teases. “Every day? What about that nerd camp you went to when you were ten? And the time you went on that college tour without me—” 

“You still remember that!” Imani lets go of Rachel’s hand to shove playfully at her shoulder. “The space camp, really? And you _know_ why I had to go without you, because you had your big important evaluation that weekend!”

Rachel smirks and continues, “What about that time you were sick and your parents wouldn’t let me visit—”

“You visited anyway, you idiot!” Imani laughs. “And you got sick too!”

Rachel grins as she watches Imani laugh. Now _that’s_ the truly beautiful thing here. She could see a million sunsets over the ocean, in the most breathtaking places on Earth, but it all pales in comparison to Imani. Imani when she’s happy—really happy—is the brightest and loveliest thing in Rachel’s life. Her blue eyes squinting, her lips spread in a wide smile, her dark brown hair bouncing as she shakes with laughter. Her hand rising up to try and cover her smile. The glow of the setting sun on her brown skin. 

She’s the most beautiful woman in the world.

Honestly, Rachel never cared so much about this place that Imani went to, just the fact that she was away for an entire month every year. It was a whole month that Rachel couldn’t hang out with her or see her. It never got easier, helping Imani pack and waving to her as her parents drove away. Of course, the two of them always kept in touch with postcards and phone calls. Dad would shake his head and mutter about how clingy she was when he thought Mom couldn’t hear him. 

Rachel leans over to kiss Imani. Imani is still smiling, but she catches Rachel’s face and holds her close. Rachel winds an arm around Imani’s shoulders. She closes her eyes and just feels this: her girlfriend’s soft skin and softer lips, the warmth of the evening, the sea breeze blowing through Rachel’s hair.

They’re here now, together. They’ve been together since Rachel asked Imani out to the seventh grade dance. Technically, they’ve been together since the Church family moved next door to the Cook family. The day they moved into the house, Imani came over with her dad to give their new neighbors a freshly baked batch of cookies. Five year old Rachel had to traverse through a maze of boxes to get to the door. And on the other side was five year old Imani, grinning while holding the Tupperware container full of warm cookies. 

And now here they are. Twenty-two years old and kissing on a beach far from home as the sun goes down.

Imani pulls away, taking her hand away from Rachel’s face. Rachel’s eyes open. The light of the sunset is reflecting in Imani’s eyes and Rachel loses herself in them for a moment.

“Rachel,” Imani says, pulling Rachel out of her dreamy stupor.

“Yeah?” Rachel says.

Imani suddenly brings her hands up in front of her. Rachel looks down to catch the movement and her heart stops.

Imani has a small white box in her hands, open to show a silver band adorned with a small glittering blue stone. 

Rachel’s mouth falls open. Her eyes widen. This is… 

“Rachel Church,” Imani says, leaning ever so slightly closer to Rachel. “I’ve loved you ever since I knew what it meant to love someone. I’ve wanted to spend my whole life with you since you learned how to do my hair when we were kids. I…” She bites her lip, but before Rachel can gather herself enough to say something, Imani says, “Will you marry me?”

Rachel throws herself forwards, pulling Imani into a tight hug. “Oh my god, _yes_!” Rachel says, choking back tears. “Yes!”

Imani hugs her back, just as tightly. “I, um, I got an aquamarine ring ‘cause—I know you said that one time that diamond rings are shitty, so I looked for something that just looks cool—”

Rachel squeezes her eyes shut. “Damn it, I was going to propose to you at the end of the road trip! I have a fucking ring back in the car, _fuck_!”

Imani laughs at that. “I beat you to it,” she says smugly.

“You win,” Rachel says, letting Imani go and taking the ring box. Now that she’s actually looking at it, she’s pretty amazed. Imani really found something that’s exactly her style. The band is wide and simple, not like her mom’s fancy diamond one. This one has some tiny designs carved into the metal, but there’s not enough light to make them out.

“Fuck yeah, I win,” Imani says, leaning close to Rachel and kissing her fiercely. Rachel kisses back, but Imani takes over. She pushes Rachel’s shoulder with a steady hand until Rachel is lying on her back on the sand. Imani kisses her again, softly and then successively harder until Rachel is breathless.

Then she takes the ring box from Rachel’s hand. She slides the ring onto Rachel’s finger and kisses the back of her hand like Rachel’s a lady or something. As fucking if. Rachel rolls her eyes and Imani smirks at her.

“You can still propose to me later,” she says. “If it’s out in public with like, people around, I’ll pretend to be all shocked and happy. Hell, propose to me in front of your dad, he’ll probably scream that it’s about time.”

Rachel laughs and shakes her head. “It’s going to be when you least expect it, Imani.”


End file.
